


‘til the end of the line

by orangeslices4scott



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: 100 Ways to Say I Love You Writing Challenge, Anxiety, Blood and Injury, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Canon Divergence - Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Marvel Universe, One Shot Collection, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Protective Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:00:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28078836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orangeslices4scott/pseuds/orangeslices4scott
Summary: A collection of Steve and Bucky one shots using the “100 ways to say I love you” prompt list.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Kudos: 7





	‘til the end of the line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier
> 
> A recovering Bucky decides to go for a midnight drive and Steve insists on coming.

“Are you sure?” Steve kept his voice low, careful, as he looked across at Bucky from the passenger seat. Bucky nodded, gripping the wheel probably a little too tight to look relaxed. He really didn’t think letting Bucky drive was a good idea, but he didn’t exactly want to say no either. This was the first time he’d left the house in days and Steve wasn’t about to spoil it.

He wanted to watch Bucky, wanted to make sure he really was okay and wouldn’t startle but after a mere few seconds Steve noticed Bucky’s already clenched hands tighten around the leather, gripping so hard that the knuckles on his right hand turned white. His eyes were trained concentratedly on the road, illuminated only by the headlights. Admittedly, Steve wouldn’t have picked 2am for a drive to who knows where.

So to relive him of the pressure, Steve preoccupied himself with the darkness above them, stars hanging like pinpricks of light across the vastness of the sky. It felt strange to think that he was looking at the same sky he’d looked at as a child, the same sky his mother had pointed up at when showing him the stars. The same sky he and Bucky had marvelled at when the moon was especially bright and they could even make out some constellations. The sky hadn’t changed a bit, even as everything under it had advanced irreversibley.

Steve couldn’t remember the last time he had let himself just sit and think, do nothing but take in the world around him. It was soothing, for once letting his mind wander further than his weekly missions. Lately his mind rarely left Bucky, constantly anxious that he would come home to find him either gone or terrified. Telling by the fact that he was driving, the former hadn’t happened. The latter, however, had. Once.

Steve had returned to his apartment in the tower later than usual that night, and his heart sank when he didn’t find Bucky on the couch. Although it was late, he wouldn’t have expected Bucky to be asleep; he didn’t sleep much at all, really. But he had expected him to be there like he always was since he’d been staying there, sat on the couch or armchair, sometimes with a blanket. Maybe he’d be scribbling in a notebook, or navigating Steve’s laptop to look up some truly bizarre topics. Steve didn’t like to question him, but he couldn’t pretend he wasn’t curious about some of the obscure dates and names that now filled his search history.

That night was different though. It didn’t take long for Steve to detect the short, stifled breaths comign from his bathroom. He opened the door slowly, only to find Bucky sitting on the floor against the cabinet. He couldn’t make out his face or anything else.

“I’m gonna turn the light on, okay?” Steve told him gently. After waiting for a moment, Steve flicked the light switch and blinked in the now bright light of the room. When he looked back down at Bucky, he had to hold his breath to trap the gasp that had formed in his throat.

Bucky was sitting among the shattered glass of the mirror above the sink, his right hand bleeding heavily. His blood was on the cabinet doors and was now collecting in a small puddle beside him. He was looking back up at Steve, eyes wide and tired and scared.

Shaking his head slightly, Steve brought himself back to the present and looked back at Bucky, who’s grip had relaxed slightly and shoulders were now a little more slumped in the seat. He didn’t like thinking about those moments, the moments when he wasn’t certain he’d ever get Bucky out of Hydra’s grip. It made his heart ache painfully to think that after everything, he still didn’t have Bucky back.

And to some extent that was true. He couldn’t hold him like he used to, hell, he didn’t even like touching him for fear it’d upset him. Things were never going to be what they were and as much as Steve didn’t want to admit it, he knew it was true.

But that didn’t mean it was over. That didn’t mean he was going to give up on Bucky. He’d already improved so much from that first day after the Project Insight incident, and Steve had hope that he would continue to get better, to see himself as a person again. And even if that was never going to happen, Steve would never give up on him.

A sharp inhale pulled Steve out of his thoughts and he turned to his left. Bucky glanced back at him, aware he’d heard the gasp, shifting his hands uncomfortably on the wheel. His mouth opened slightly as if he wanted to speak, but then he closed it again without a word. Steve watched all of this happen, painfully aware of the terror or panic or exhaustion or whatever it might be building up in the blue-grey eyes.

“Come on, Buck,” he said at last, shifting in his seat to face him properly, “Pull over, let me drive for a while.”

**Author's Note:**

> Most of these will probably be written when I’m meant to be sleeping but we’ll go with it.  
> This is gonna be for short, quick little stories about our favourite super soldiers generally just being adorable.  
> I’ll try and see if I can manage daily updates but honestly I have little faith in myself.


End file.
